iPad 3 Might Feature iOS 6, 'HD' Name

Apple's next iPad might feature "HD" in its name, and include a major update to iOS, which one blog terms "iOS 6."

Apple's next iPad could arrive with the
moniker "iPad HD."
That information comes from the blog Gizmodo,
which cited a reader-supplied parts listing from accessories manufacturers
Griffin and Belkin.

For months, media and tech pundits have
used "iPad 3" to describe Apple's next-generation tablet. Apple is
hosting a March 7 event in San Francisco where the device will almost certainly
be unveiled. Rumored features include a high-resolution Retina Display (hence
the possible "HD" name), a more powerful processor and an improved
camera. "We have something you really have to see. And touch," read
the invitation sent to the media for the event, which included an image of a
finger touching the calendar app on an iPad screen.

Sources such as Apple
Insider suggest that the next iPad could also feature 4G Long-Term
Evolution (LTE) support and a significant update to iOSwhich the blog terms "iOS
6."
Whatever its name, the next iPad will
enter the market in a dominant position over its competitors, which for the
moment include a host of Google Android tablets and Research In Motion's
PlayBook. However, that landscape will change by the end of 2012, when Microsoft
and its manufacturing partners are expected to debut a host of tablets loaded
with the upcoming Windows 8.
On Feb. 29, Microsoft unveiled the
Consumer Preview of Windows 8 at the Mobile
World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The choice of venue spoke volumes: Microsoft
clearly intends for the upcoming operating system to become the next heavyweight
in mobile computing.

Moreover, Microsoft dearly wants to
compete with Apple in the realm of mobile apps. For months, its executives have
been encouraging third-party developers to consider creating apps for Windows
8, claiming the hundreds of millions of Windows users will prove a lucrative
customer base.
But Apple already has a significant
head start in that area, with an app store containing hundreds of thousands of
offerings. In an attempt to further sweeten the proposition, Microsoft
executives have been talking for months about how Windows 8 will supposedly
provide a "no compromises" experience closer to what users find on a
desktop than a traditional tabletalbeit, one that also comes with a mobile
device's lightweight UI.
Can the next iPad compete with
Microsoft's attempts to meld the best of PCs with tablets? That's the question.
But it's indisputable that Apple retains a hefty lead in the category, with
Microsoft decidedly in the underdog position. Apple's executives are betting
that the next iPad will widen that competitive gap.
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Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.